Describe the old and proposed customer meaning
Write what the brand is currently chosen for and what it wants to be chosen for next. Specify the customer and buying situation. Words such as modern, premium or innovative need a concrete meaning in that context.
Identify evidence for the current perception. Internal opinion, a few customer comments and a systematic customer study have different scopes. If you do not know how customers currently understand the brand, treat that as a research gap.
Check whether the business can deliver the promise
Map the proposition to product, service, distribution and customer experience. A new visual identity may express a change, but it does not by itself create the capability behind the promise. Record which operating changes are necessary.
Look for tension with existing customers. A new position can alter expectations around price, access or service. Identify who might lose a valued part of the current offer and how the transition will be explained.
Read cases for sequencing and proof
Compare when the company changed its offer, experience, message and identity. Ask how the new proposition was demonstrated to customers. A polished launch story may omit years of operational preparation or later adjustments.
Use cases with a different outcome to identify fragile assumptions. Distinguish customer resistance from execution problems and external events when the sources allow it. Where they do not, preserve multiple plausible explanations.
Test comprehension and credibility before scaling
An illustrative service brand could test a proposed message alongside a concrete service example. Ask suitable customers what they expect, why they believe it and what seems inconsistent with prior experience. Their interpretation matters more than whether they like the design.
Review the proposition and the delivery together. Define what evidence would justify broader rollout and what operating gap must be repaired first. A repositioning brief should end with commitments the business can actually keep.
Use this worksheet for your decision
Copy this into your notes. Leave unknowns visible instead of filling gaps with guesses.
Current reason to choose: Proposed reason to choose: Audience and buying situation: Perception evidence: Required delivery changes: Existing-customer trade-off: Case sequence and proof: Comprehension/credibility test: Rollout condition:Download the text worksheet ↓
Find evidence in the archives
Choose a supporting case and a counterexample with a different outcome. Read their sources and check whether their conditions match yours.
Cases to practice with (read and check the underlying sources):
Bring your question to the cases
Search a company or topic in the app, read the cases and ask follow-up questions to compare approaches.